Review: Identity Thief

Tessa Roy ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff

Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman team up for Identity Thief, the latest from director Seth Gordon. Despite the fact this film hasn’t gotten as much love from the critics as Gordon’s Horrible Bosses, it still has the power to entertain.
Identity Thief is a story of Diane (McCarthy), a colorful, eccentric woman residing in Florida who makes a living by stealing the identities of innocent, unsuspecting persons. But one day, she takes her scheming too far and steals the name of Sandy Patterson (Bateman), a down-on-his luck Dad who could lose a major promotion if he doesn’t stop Diane‘s thieving once and for all. Sandy decides to track her down, and an incredible journey ensues.
If you don’t already love McCarthy, this film will give you a reason to. Her costumes and colorfully made-up face are humorous enough on their own. This combined with Diane’s terrible radio sing-alongs, signature “neck punch” in fights, and failed tactic of beating Sandy with a flaming stick to scare away a snake elicits plenty of side-cramping laughter. Of course, Identity Thief is riddled with a few tasteless jokes about McCarthy’s weight. But thankfully, they aren’t the basis of all the film’s humor. Bateman does alright too, as Sandy flounders around unhappily in Diane’s wild lifestyle but learns valuable lessons from her in the end.
While it’s no Oscar material, Identity Thief is certainly funny and worth seeing. Just be sure to disregard the fat jokes and focus on the other aspects of humor.